[FONT=Tahoma,Arial,Sans Serif]Isnt this just sweet give back land that doesnt belong to you in the first place [/FONT]
I wonder how this could work out ?
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[FONT=Tahoma,Arial,Sans Serif][SIZE=+2]Kanesatake Mohawk Nation fights for Mirabel land[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma,Arial,Sans Serif][SIZE=+1]Feds promised to sell land back to farmers but Mohawks say they were there first. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Sans Serif][SIZE=-1][SIZE=-2]I wonder how this could work out ?
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[FONT=Tahoma,Arial,Sans Serif][SIZE=+2]Kanesatake Mohawk Nation fights for Mirabel land[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma,Arial,Sans Serif][SIZE=+1]Feds promised to sell land back to farmers but Mohawks say they were there first. [/SIZE][/FONT]
Dateline: Thursday, January 18, 2007[/SIZE]
by Heidi Schneider
Although the federal government plans to sell land outside Montreal back to the farmers booted from their properties in the sixties, the Kanesatake Mohawk Nation is asking Prime Minister Stephen Harper to recognize its rights to the same land.
In mid-December, Harper announced that the government would sell 11,000 acres of land back to the farmers from whom it was expropriated in 1969 to build the Mirabel Airport, located just outside of Montreal. The same month, the Kanesatake Mohawk Nation filed a claim with the federal government to the land, part of the Seigneury of Lake of Two Mountains.
"We are only at the discussions level right now... there is a lot of back and forth on whether it's going to be compensated [financially] or how we're going to go about it," Grand Chief Clarence Simon said.
François-Nicholas Asselin, Director of Communications for Transport Canada in Quebec, said that the federal government is looking at the Kanesatake Mohawk Nation's concerns.
"There is an obligation to consult with the Mohawks. The Prime Minister has made it clear that he will consult [with them]," Asselin said.
"The government made a promise that they would sell land back to the farmers that were expropriated and who are renting [land]. The government is just keeping that promise," he added.
According to Simon, no timeline has been set for the start of negotiations, because no decision has been reached on the formal review of the Nation's claims.
"There's still a lot of work to be done. We're hoping that everyone will negotiate honestly and positively. It's not a question of expropriation — we need this recognition," Simon said.
The Kanesatake Mohawk Nation has been fighting for the land for 34 years, filing their first land claim for Seigneury in 1972. Their presence on the Seigneury of Lake of Two Mountains dates back to the 1700s.
"I just hope that we get what we want. We've been very humane about it — we're not talking about expropriation, just about proper compensation," Simon said.
However, a spokesperson for Indian Affairs Canada described the historical fact base as "extensive and complex."
"Canada and the First Nations have worked closely in compiling the historical fact base necessary for the review of the Seigneury claim," the spokesperson said. "Canada cannot comment on the acceptability of the claim for negotiation before it completes its review of the claim."
When asked about plans for the Seigneury land should it come under Mohawk control, Simon suggested that the land could help remedy the development problems plaguing Kanesatake.
"We're lacking the economic development here. We'd need to bring in people from the outside for businesses," he said.
Although the mayor of Mirabel has been pushing for the land to be converted into an industrial park, Simon stressed the need to thoroughly examine the environmental impact of this or any other endeavour. "There's land here to be used, we should use it," he said, adding that, "A lot of work has already been done in terms of environmental studies... we're advancing slowly but surel
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